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RAIL MUSEUM TURNS INTO A FUNSPOT FOR CHILDREN

    For thousands of children, who visited the National Rail Museum today, it was a day of enjoyment and fun in the company of century old rail-beauties and fun rides. It was the concluding day of the 40 day "Van Mahotsava" drive launched by the National Rail Museum in cooperation with the Delhi Metropolitan Lions Club.

    The children, who were allowed, free entry to the museum, took part in the tree plantation activities. The Patiala State Mono Rail, which is the only rail of its kind in the world was a particular attraction for the children. They could also enter the various types of rail engines and other live models to have a feel of the technical aspects of the railways. The toy-train, taking them to a round of the Museum, was something that the children and their parents enjoyed alike.

    A group of visually handicapped children from the Association of the Blinds were particularly happy to note that the inscriptions in the ‘Akanksha’ section of the Museum were in the braille language. There were various other groups of handicapped children specially brought by various other voluntary organisations like Amarjyoti Trust, CRY etc. These included the physically and the mentally handicapped children. Special attention to these children was provided by the Museum staff.

 

 

SHRI PRAMOD MAHAJAN LEADS OFFICIAL DELEGATION TO CHINA TO STRENGTHEN BILATERAL COOPERATION

FOCUS – TO BUILD STRATEGIC BUSINESS ALLIANCES, INSTITUTIONAL LINKAGES, AND EXPAND COLLABORATION IN HRD

    In a major move to give a new vision and dimension to Indo-China relations, Union Minister for Information Technology and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Pramod Mahajan is leading a high-level official delegation to China from July 17 to July 21. The key objective of the visit is to identify inputs that would road map and strengthen bilateral cooperation in critical areas of knowledge-sharing, information technology, HRD, strategic business partnerships, R&D, institutional linkages, thereby laying the foundation stone for renewed cooperation in the emerging new knowledge-based economies. During the course of the visit, Shri Mahajan is expected to focus on the brand image of India, as the "Gate Way" to the I.T. revolution". The visit will focus on India’s proficiency in I.T. with the global information industry, strategic locale for venture investments and the best I.T. skills partners. The visit will also explore the possibility of partnerships, collaboration and joint ventures in areas of mutual interests between the two countries.

    A key feature of the visit will be the interaction with key Chinese Government persons. Efforts will be made to highlight the policy initiatives of India for the I.T. sector. Principal focus will be on financial sector reforms which have been undertaken recently. A series of initiatives taken by the Government to develop the road map for India’s initiatives in E-Commerce will also be highlighted. These include Information and communication technology infrastructure, Legal and regulatory framework and technology for e-commerce. Attention will also be drawn to the IT regulatory environment in the country especially in the context of recent initiatives of the Government with regard to the Information Technology Bill.

    Interaction with Chiefs of Chinese hardware companies is high on the agenda. I.T. hardware is a strategic sector for Chinese economy and a number of multi National companies have set up their manufacturing facilities in China. While India has been globally known for its strength in software sector, China is known for its huge hardware production facilities. Both the countries could identify possible areas of cooperation for the mutual growth of IT industry through various policy initiatives. Such complementarities would give us impetus to bilateral trade and strategic business partnerships.

    During his visit, Shri Mahajan will have extensive discussions with Mr. Shi Guang Sheng, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and Mr. Wu Jichuan, Minister of Information Industry. The discussions will focus on identifying new inputs for cooperation in IT, R&D and business partnerships. During his stay at Beijing, Shri Mahajan will have focussed discussions with Beijing Telecom Administration. A key feature of the Beijing leg of the visit is the visit to Zhong Guancun, Beijing high-tech development zone. The Indian delegation will have extensive business interaction with the Legend Group of Industries in China and the Computer Software and Technology Service Corporation. In the Shanghai leg of the visit, the delegation will visit Shanghai Telecom Administration and witness Shanghai on-line. Other important engagements at Shanghai include the visit to Shanghai Pudong Software Park and Huadong Computer Holding Company. At Shenzhen, Shri Mahajan will visit Huawei Technologies Companies Ltd and the China Great Wall Computer Group. The visits to business establishments is expected to help both sides in making strategic business alliances.

    Shri Mahajan is accompanied by Secretary I.T., Shri P.V. Jayakrishnan and Shri Phadke, Senior Advisor, MIT.

 

 

‘30’

ARID FOREST RESEARCH INSTITUTE CAMPUS INAUGURATED

   Shri T.R. Baalu, Minister of Environment and Forests has stated that if forests were exploited beyond the point of natural recuperation, the environment would degrade to a point of no return. Keeping this in mind, the Forest Conversation Act was enacted in 1980, which emphasised the need to treat forests as an environmental and social resource rather than as a commercial resource, he added. The act places strict control on diversion of forestland to non-forest uses, Shri Baalu further stated. He was inaugurating the office building and residential campus of Arid forest Research Institute and Laboratory-cum-residential Complex of Desert Regional Station of the Zoological Survey of India at Jodhpur, Rajasthan today.

    Speaking at the function, Shri Baalu spoke about the laws and policies so existing in the country which are designed to ease these pressures and restore our forest wealth and conserve bio-diversity. The corner stone of this effort, our National Forest Policy as revised in 1988, is strongly oriented towards conservation as the main strategy for sustaining and strengthening the ecological role of forests, he said. Shri Baalu informed that a workshop was organised at New Delhi recently to work out the National Bio-diversity Strategy and an action Plan and 35 eco-regions have been identified. The working groups have been established to prepare an action plan for the conservation of Bio-diversity in the next two years, the Minister added.

    Shri Baalu expressed happiness over the fact that AFRI has made important inroads into the task of afforestation in Thar Desert and the applied research works have been taken up on tissue culture, water management practices, planting stock improvement programme and management of existing forests. He hoped that integrated effort would be made to develop genetically superior trees and shrubs having tolerance to aridity.

    Observing that the land-use pattern in the desert areas is changing fast, from desert grassland to irrigated crops fields, the ecological changes will create colossal impact on the bio-diversity of the whole desert ecosystem. "We therefore, should evolve viable action plan to conserve the typical bio-diversity of desert areas. Though a stressful zone, the desert carries some highly important wetlands, the large saline Sambhar lake in Rajasthan and the Nal Sarovar in Gujarat", he added.

    The Minister further stated that now that the office building, residential quarters, library building, scientists hostel, community hall, guest house and other infrastructure have been completed at AFRI, officers will all be in a campus working together as a team with enthusiasm and zeal to create new horizons of knowledge in the field of arid zone forestry. Similarly with more space and facilities in the newly constructed building it is expected that the Desert regional Station of ZSI will come out with action plans and strategies to conserve and protect the faunal bio-diversity of the region.